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Saturday, September 12, 2009

9/15: Greg Ginn at Beachland

In American punk’s tattered history, the only band equaling (if not surpassing) the Ramones in terms of impact is Black Flag. Formed in 1976 in Los Angeles, Black Flag incubated the careers of singers Keith Morris (who went on to the Circle Jerks) and Henry Rollins, with their sole constant being guitarist Greg Ginn. While some stateside bands signed to major labels (or unsuccessfully tried to get signed), Ginn founded SST Records the same year Black Flag formed and released all of the group’s albums on it. (The label also put out seminal records by the Minutemen, Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr.) As a guitarist, Ginn — whose influences include the Stooges and the Grateful Dead — was among the first to integrate jazz and metal aspects into a punk-rock context. Since Black Flag’s dissolution in 1986, Ginn has concentrated primarily on SST and playing music under various guises. Backed by the Texas Corrugators, Ginn brings his legacy of creative brutality to Beachland Tavern (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124) at 8:30 tonight. Tickets: $7. — Mark Keresman